Assignments
by Serene Cullen
Summary: Lily and Severus have a special assignment together but one day it changes and Severus has to make a choice, but did he make the right one?


Assignments

There she was, Lily Evans, walking through the courtyard on her way to Herbology, her long red hair blew lightly behind her, her bright green eyes sparkling with happiness. Her friends went pretty much unnoticed by everyone, including me, but it was only because when they stood next to her it wasn't possible to look at them with her so close. She was the top of the Herbology class. I walked alone, behind the group, still watching her, like always. I usually kept to myself, Lily was the only person I was ever really comfortable enough to talk to. "Hey it's the _prince of potions_" James Potter and his group walk over, blocking my way and my view.

"You're going to make me late to class." I said not looking up, the group chuckled then James grabbed my shirt.

"If you haven't noticed we don't care."

"Stop it all of you" Lily pushed through Remus and Sirius and went straight to James, she pulled on his left shoulder hard, he released me in order to look at her.

"Lil' come to join the party."

She rolled her eyes "ya sure" she grabbed my hand and walked away from the group "we better hurry Severus or we'll be late to Herbology" she smiled back at me and my knees almost gave out. I ran with her to the Herbology green house and we walked through just as class started.

She proved again that she was the top of our class, and that she deserved to be. The other girl competing for the position of head of the class was silent throughout all of class but glared daggers at Lily.

Lily walked out alone; her friends had a different class while she had Herbology. She walked slowly and without realizing it I caught up with her, after that she matched my pace. "The next dance is coming up this weekend" I nearly jumped out of my skin when she spoke; she covered her mouth quickly "I'm sorry." She went to run away but I grabbed her arm, when I realized I had I released it instantly but was blushing uncontrollably.

"I don't mind Lily, I like talking with you, I just" I blushed again in embarrassment "didn't realize I was walking with you."

She nodded and smiled "Lily" her friends called her.

She looked over waved, then shoed them away. "So Severus" she asked "how is potions going?"

I smiled; I think this might be her way of asking if she would still be making it to the dance with me "good, really well Mr. Slughorn says I'm still top of my class and that I'm getting better everyday."

She smiled brightly "I'm so glad to hear that, it's a total bummer that I can't watch you, I think it would be amazing to watch but I."

"Hey Lil'" James came over and wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders, she looked at it then him.

"Excuse me but please move your arm from my shoulder" he laughed and squeezed.

"That's my baby girl always playing around."

"I asked you nicely you have one more chance" he smirked down at her.

"Whatcha gonna do babe?"

"Brachi arm a mendo" his arm turned to a noodle, and she peeled it off her shoulder "now promise you'll leave Severus alone and I'll fix it."

He glared at me but nodded "knox" the spell broke and his arm went back to normal, bones and everything.

The warning bell rang and we all went a different way, I to potions, Lily to transfiguration, and James to go torture some little girl in the dungeon probably.

The next days past in a blur, it was Saturday about noon, five hours before the dance started. I was walking past the Herbology area when I heard Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout talking with two girls. "They are tied in the class Professor Sprout this has never happened before, what should we do?"

"Why don't we have a trivia about the class" Professor Sprout offered.

"Why don't we ask the person who we'd be paired up with who they want to take?"

"Ok Professor McGonagall will you call for Mr. Snape, I'll review Lily and Marissa's grades just to be sure."

I took my ear off the glass of the green house and began to walk away "Mr. Snape, Mr. Snape" I heard Professor McGonagall running towards me.

I turned towards her "yes Professor."

"Please come with me" she put her hand on the small of my back and pushed me into the Herbology room.

"That was fast McGonagall" Professor Sprout said.

"Well lucky for us he was walking just outside the room. Now Mr. Snape you are aware that as long as the Potion and Herbology head students are of opposite gender they go to the weekend dance together." I nodded remembering, Lily and I went together every time. "Well this is the first time that this has ever happened but Lily and Marissa are tied as top of the class so Marissa suggested that we leave it up to you, you may pick whom you wish to escort to the dance Mr. Snape."

I looked at Lily and my heart jumped, _you can't let her know you like her, pick the other girl_ "uh, Marissa" I instantly saw Lily's jaw drop. Both McGonagall and Sprout's face held shock.

"Oh yay Severus I knew you'd pick me" Marissa jumped on me hugging me tightly; I tentatively put my arms around her.

"H-Have fun Severus" Lily ran out of the room, face a deep velvet red and streaked with tears.

I instantly felt regret fill me, I had chosen wrong, she liked me too, she wanted to go with me, just as much as I had wanted to go with her. I pried Marissa off of me and ran after her, the rain had begun falling lightly and it was hard for me to see which way she had gone.

After an hour of running around trying to find her I returned to my room and got ready, I put on my normal black tuxedo, the white undershirt and put on a classic red bow tie, usually I matched my tie and shirt to Lily's dress, but Marissa hadn't told me anything about her outfit. I walked out of the Slytherine dorm and to the Ravenclaw dorms. I waited for Marissa to come out and when she did she was in a normal dark blue dress, it had baby blue ribbons around the waist and frilled at the bottom, she wore dark blue high heels and light natural make up. I offered her my hand and walked her to the great hall, it was decorated with a snowy theme, there was a light snow that didn't stay on the floor. Marissa took one look at the snow before complaining "this snow is going to ruin my hair" I looked up noticing that it was curly, and that she had poofed the bangs up.

"Your hair looks very nice Marissa" her eyes brightened up almost immediately.

"Thank you Severus I was working on it for almost an hour, I'm so glad you like it, I was so worried that you wouldn't like it." She flipped her hair back as she talked, rather annoying really.

I noticed that she talked a lot something I didn't particularly like, I enjoyed that Lily didn't talk too much, but we each had our turn talking. "Please excuse me Marissa I'm a little thirsty, would you like something to drink as well?"

"Yes please Severus that is so sweet of you just some of the punch that's there."

I nodded and walked over to the refreshment table, I got two cups of strawberry punch, I lingered, strawberry is what Lily always got it was her favorite flavor. I saw Lily dancing with the one person I hated the most, James, James Potter. Lily looked beautiful though she had on a dark purple strapless dress, the material was obviously silk, there were light purple flowers along the left side of the dress, the dress was tight in the breast area but got slightly loose below the waist, the dress cut off at about an inch above the knee, she wore black tights under her dress and a light purple strapy heel.

I wanted so badly to be with her tonight, I still hadn't forgiven myself for not picking her. I returned to Marissa reluctantly and gave her her punch. She smiled and took it from me mentioning something about the cup design and how she didn't like it. "Would you like to dance Severus" I was caught off guard she had danced provocatively next slash on top of me the rest of the night.

I listened to the music and noticed it was a slower song, "uh, sure" I offered her my hand and we moved onto the dance floor. She was silent for the first time that night, she rested her head on my chest and we swayed slowly to the music. It wasn't like dancing with Lily, Lily wasn't the kind of person who gave you the feeling that she was dancing on top of you, Lily danced with you, her head wouldn't have been on my chest, she would have been comfortable in my arms but she would have made little comments on the music for most of the song, keeping us both laughing lightly to ourselves. While lost in my memories of Lily I didn't see Marissa lean up to me until her lips were on my own, gasps sprang from every side of the room. I panicked and moved away, I heard heels click across the dance floor quickly the next thing I felt was a stinging in my cheek, my hand went up to my cheek feeling the sting of a slap, I looked the way that the heels were sounding and saw Lily running away out the doors. Without a second of thought I followed her out the door and sprinted out into the dark, empty castle.

"Lily" I yelled out, I followed her out into the pouring rain, my tuxedo was soaked almost immediately and I could only imagine what had become of her dress, hair and make up. I ran faster, as she began to pull away. By some twist of fate I saw her trip and fall, I saw water or mud splash around where she landed. I reached her, she lay crying into the ground, her ankle was twisted at an unnatural angle. I took my wand out and muttered a basic healing spell, when it didn't work I twisted my own ankle, Lily gasped and reached towards me, I kissed her hand softly and took my wand to my ankle, I tweaked the spell several times before it really worked. I then lowered my wand to her ankle and used the spell, it worked.

Lily hugged me tightly "Severus" she cried my name, I took her up into my arms and carried her under one of the over drops to shield her from the rain. "Severus I wanted to go with you to the dance so bad, really I did, why didn't you pick me, I wanted to go with you, I wanted to dance with you, I was going to tell you tonight Severus, I promised myself I was going to."

I stroked her hair softly "tell me what Lily."

"Oh Severus I was going to tell you I loved you tonight, I wanted to, I was finally sure that I was in love with you, I wanted you to know, I wanted to know if you loved me back." She sobbed louder into my chest, but thunder sounded and drowned her sobs.

I gulped "Lily I'm so sorry." I saw her eyes go void, she thought I was rejecting her, I caressed her cheek softly and lovingly, she leaned into it automatically "it wasn't you who should have said 'I love you' first Lily, I'm sorry that I wasn't brave enough to tell you, but I do love you Lily, really I do."

I leaned over and kissed Lily with all the passion I had kept pent up, all of my wanting her, all of my secret love for her, finally released. She wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, pressing her body closer to mine. We broke, the rain hadn't calmed down much at all but I picked her up again and ran into the great hall. We were both soaking wet as we walked into the dance hall again "Severus I was so worried" Marissa was running over to me, pushing past people, I rolled my eyes and bent down and kissed Lily again.

Marissa stopped dead in her tracks and growled loudly, she went for her wand and Professor McGonagall took her by the arm and gave her a sharp glare. Marissa put her wand away and stocked off. "Lily" I whispered in her ear, she looked up at me questioning "would you like to go out with me?"

She smiled and hugged me tightly "I would love to" I wrapped my arms around her smiling. "Lets go dance Severus" she lead me onto the dance floor and we danced the night away happily in each others arms. I took pleasure in watching James leave the dance room alone.


End file.
